Some very sad news for MSU and the School of Criminal Justice:
Officer Mason Samborski of the Oak Park (MI) Police Department was killed by a teenage suspect while escorting him back to his home on December 28th.
By all accounts, Officer Samborski was a dedicated officer and all-around nice guy. In addition to studying at MSU, he worked for the East Lansing Police Department during college. He leaves behind a wife and one-year-old daughter.
The suspect, a 16-year-old boy who was pulled over by Officer Samborski for driving without a license, will be tried as an adult. The details of the shooting are still fuzzy.
I know I speak for all of us at GBOC in expressing our condolences to the Samborski family. A memorial fund has been started for his daughter--I will update with more information as it becomes available.
Update: A memorial fund has been established for Samborski's family. Donations may be sent to the Mason Samborski Memorial Fund c/o 13600 Oak Park Boulevard, Oak Park, Mich. 48237.
7 comments:
It is hardly surprising that Belton is being charged as an adult. And, honestly, it's hard even for those who oppose juvenile transfer to argue with the facts of the case: a 16-year kid (whose offense history includes assault and CCW) shot and killed a police officer who had cut him a break by driving him back to a residence rather than charging him with driving without a license. The attack appears to have been pre-meditated and possibly involved the officer's own weapon, though this has not been confirmed. Add to this a newly-elected county prosecutor (she took office yesterday!) facing a hugely high-profile first case, and the racial subtext of a black teen killing a white police officer. Given all of that it's no wonder he's being charged as an adult.
Either way, this is such a sad case. I was watching coverage of the funeral and one of Officer Samborski's colleagues asked what many of us are wondering: what motivated the teen to shoot an officer who was trying to help him? It's such a senseless tragedy.
in the uk, this crime would merit a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 to 30 years. What is the expectation from your locality?
Probably the same, prisonguru. If convicted he'll likely get life without parole. Interestingly, that's not just a function of his being tried as an adult, as juveniles in Michigan also (unbelievably, in my view) can receive LWOP sentences.
life without parole is unprecedented for a juvenile in the uk. It is assumed that juveniles have a lesser developed sense of morality and impulse control, and so are never tried as adults - though may receive "adult" sentences. There may also be a reticence to label any juvenile as irredeemable. I fail to understand why, in america, a heinous crime sees a child tried as an adult. Is this due to weaker sentencing options in juvenile courts?
Unfortunately I believe it is much more political than that. Many (most?) U.S. juvenile justice policies have grown exponentially more punitive over the last 30 years, largely as a function of the overall "tough on crime" mindset that has come to define American sentencing/correctional policy for both adults and juveniles. It is political poison for U.S. politicians to be labeled "soft on crime." As such, policy-makers can ill afford to reject a punitive stance toward crime control, even in the face of evidence that "get tough" policies don't work. For example, despite about 20 years' worth of sound empirical research documenting that the transfer of youth to adult court is ineffective (i.e., it's not a general deterrent, it's not a specific deterrent, it can have a criminogenic effect, etc.), many states in recent years have actually lowered the age at which youths can be tried as adults and/or otherwise broadened their transfer statutes, all in the name of "cracking down" on youth crime (especially that which is violent and/or drug-related).
Patch can speak to these issues much more intelligently than I can, but this is my assessment of why there is such sustained public and political support in the U.S. for trying kids as adults.
I actually knew Mason in college at Michigan State through some mutual friends. Although I don't know how to describe this terrible event as anything but "a senseless tragedy", those words do not describe the heinousness of the crime committed. I've read several articles in the Freep, as well as the comments, and it appears as though it's caused quite a stir--particularly among racial boundaries.
I suppose the most difficult part about it is finding the answers to questions that can probably never be answered: what possessed this kid to kill an officer of the law so violently, when the officer was trying to give him a break? It's a real-life situation of good versus evil, yet thus far it appears evil prevailed. When situations such as these occur, how do we as the community convince the good guys in blue (that actually have an altuistic ambition) that they're doing the right thing?
Good thing I believe in karma...
Details on this crime have certainly been sketchy, not surprising given the investigation is ongoing.
Based on the information coming out of the news reports, Mason cut him a break by driving him back to where his parents lived. However, I haven't seen any news reported that his parents actually lived there. In fact, it appears his girlfriend lived at the apartment complex.
Maybe he lied about his parents living there and got caught in the lie with no way out. Maybe he panicked--who knows?
We still don't know if this was an intentional murder or an argument over Mason's weapon. Hopefully the police have it figured out and the offender will be charged appropriately.
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